Tag: Tina Brooks

A Dash of Blue Note Mania

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I was away from eBay for a couple of weeks but I had put a bunch of records in my queue. Now that all of the auctions are done, and I’m looking at the queue of records all at once, it’s striking to me how the market value of Blue Note LPs just keeps escalating and escalating with no apparent limits. I think it has been this way for as long as I’ve been watching the market and collecting records, but for whatever reasons there seems to have been another quantum leap forward recently. Or perhaps I just haven’t noticed. Let me do a download of some of the records I’ve been watching, starting with Bud Powell, Bud!, Blue Note 1571. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with the deep groove, ear, etc. The record and the cover both looked to be in M- condition. The final price was $1,230.90. Based on Popsike, this looks to be the highest price this record has sold for on eBay. Granted, the condition was great and the seller is reputable, but the price was outside of what you have considered to be the normal top range for this LP. Read more

True Blue, Peanuts and More

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Today we have some random jazz vinyl from our eBay watch list, starting with a record that has already surpassed $3,000 in bidding, Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This is an original West 63rd Street pressing that looks to be in M- condition for the record and cover. The bidding is at $3,156 with five days left on the auction. So far there are six bidders and 14 bids. In the past few months we’ve seen a copy of True Blue sell for $6,643 and yet another copy sell for $5,779, according to Popsike. Perhaps this one will end up in similar rarified territory. Read more

Catching Up (And We Mean Up!) on Rare Jazz Vinyl

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Here are a couple of nice $1,000 records we were watching on eBay: Dizzy Reece, Progress Report, Tempo TAP 9. This was an original U.K. pressing that was listed in excellent condition for the vinyl and great condition for the cover and, even though those terms are not precisely Goldmine-approved, you get the sense from the description and pictures that the record was in extremely nice condition. This one sold for about $1,025. Also, Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in M- condition for the record and cover. We said “under normal circumstances” this record could set a new high water mark for the Cooker. What we meant was that we felt the pandemic would perhaps be dampening prices for high-end records. We were wrong. This record did set a new high at $1,625. So much for my theories and hypotheses—so far at least. Read more

Back on eBay: Vintage Blue Notes and a Coltrane Autograph

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I just spent a little time on eBay. There are a lot of nice rare vintage records from the Jazz Collector Era and I’m not noticing much of a drop in demand or prices since the pandemic. Here are some of the items I put into my watch list, starting with a few vintage Blue Notes: Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This looks to be an original West 63rdStreet pressing listed in M- condition for both the record and the cover. The auction closes in three days and there are already 37 bids and 13 bidders. The price is in the $500 range. This record is a regular in the $1,000 bin, with a top price of about $1,600, according to Popsike. Under normal circumstances I would expect to see this record easily top $1,000 and perhaps set a new standard, given the condition of the record and cover. Let’s see what happens. Read more

Shades Of . . . . .

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Well, as you can see, the long and painful (for you) wait has finally ended. Somehow, in the middle of a pandemic, I have been able to procure an original copy of the infamous Shades of Redd, by Freddie Redd, Blue Note 4045. It was no simple twist of fate, but a result of the constant hocking by me on Jazz Collector and a very generous and thoughtful reader who perhaps took pity on me, or perhaps was just sick of my whining, or, simply, was happy to parlay his own two copies of Shades of Redd into one really good copy of Shades of Redd and another vaunted Blue Note gem to satisfy a need from his own want list. Let me tell the story that led to the pictures accompanying this article, taken in my lovely home in The Berkshires by The Lovely Mrs. JC.

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True Blue, Sonny’s Crib and More

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Let’s catch up on a few other rare jazz records we were watching on eBay and, without expressing inordinate surprise, we will start with Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing. The seller did not follow established norms in his description, basically saying “amazing sound and few imperfections.” Imperfections, it seems, would be in the eye or ears of the beholder. The beholder, in this case, is the person who bid $2,025 for this record. As a point of observation, there were definitely imperfections in the cover, including a tape repair, that would probably put it in the VG category, maybe VG+ on a good day. Read more

Back To Blue Note

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Where were we? Oh, yes, eBay. Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing from the Jazz Record Center, part of a nice auction that closed last week. Based on the description I would count this as M- for both the record and the cover. The final price was $2,275. Before eBay was around to show us what the market really looks like, I used to think that True Blue was the ultimate Blue Note collectible, and for a while that did seem to be the case. But it has since been surpassed in desirability — and price — but at least a couple of other records, to wit: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This was an original pressing with the New York 23 label on side two, which makes it uber-original in the eyes of many collectors. Perhaps of equal excitement, this was a promo copy. The record was listed in M- condition and the cover was listed as EX+. The final price was $7,970, which may be a record for any jazz record, depending upon how you view these things. Quite incredible, don’t you agree.

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Time For Bigger Bins?

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I know others have commented on the previous post, but I can’t let this one pass without at least one more word: Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This was an original pressing in some kind of condition, perhaps VG+ or a little better. Hard to tell, because the seller used a stock photo as the main picture and then supplemented it, I suppose, with pictures of the actual record, which shows some obvious wear on the front cover, although the overall condition looks OK. You would think the lack of clarity on the description would cause bidders to be hesitant. And perhaps they were. Nevertheless, there were 16 bidders and 27 bids and a whopping final price of $5,035.75.

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Happy Holy Grail Day

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Catching up on my watch list after a few days off eBay, starting with Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan, Peckin’ Time, Blue Note 1574. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing listed in M- condition and Ex for the cover. Looks like there was a three-way bidding war for this LP and it wound up selling for $2,700.

Here’s one for those of you who like to use the term “Holy Grail,” although it is a term I normally avoid, except for a few seconds ago: Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, Ad Lib 6601. This one is listed in Ex condition by the seller and, based on his key, that seems like it would be a very strong VG+ using standard Goldmine grading. This one is already in the $1,360 range with more than a day left on the auction. It will at least join Peckin’ Time in the $2,000 bin and will probably sell for quite a bit more, based on past history with this record.  Read more

Stuffing the $1,000 and $2,000 Bins

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Welcome, Mr. President

My goodness, the $1,000 bin is overloaded, including all four of the records I was watching last week (A New Crowd For the $1,000 Bin?). They were:

Sonny Rollins Plays, Period 1204. Final price:$1,300

Kenny Dorham, Cafe Bohemia, Blue Note 1524.  Final price: $1,482

John Jenkins and Kenny Burrell, Blue Note 1573. Final price: $2,025.01 (wow!)

Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note 1569. Final price: $1,126

And then there were:

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